For mediDopers: Are there blood tests for every major sexually-transmitted disease? How quickly can the test results typically be obtained?
Not a doctor, but I do sexual assault crisis work. Tests are typically offered at the time of a sexual assault exam, but the nurses have always told me that it wasn’t really going to pick up anything acquired earlier that day/evening.
According to wikipedia, it can take a few months for HIV to show up. I can safely assume that a bacterial infection would show up a lot sooner.
The examiner usually assesses the risk of infection based on a number of factors and offers appropriate drug treatment.
::bump::
Anyone else?
Gonorrhea and chlamydia tests can be done on urine, though usually after a rape there will be a genital exam (urethra in male, cervix in female). Syphilis and HIV are usually blood tests. The time till results depends on the location and lab. Syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia can be treated presumptively, if someone were possibly exposed.
Which STDs are you most concerned about and what tests were done/how long after the event?
HIV contracted from a rape is pretty rare. An HIV test three weeks after exposure will often show a positive test if a person were infected. A test a three months is usually accurate.
HIV can also be treated presumtively
Not asking because I’m involved in an actual such case, fortunately. Just wondering.
Hmm. I wonder why?
No there are not blood tests for every major STD. Some infections are found with blood tests; some with culture of the vagina; some with culture of lesions; some with microscopic inspection; some with special stains, and so on. None of these tests, except cultures, take very long to actually run, but some special tests need to be sent somewhere, run on a specific schedule, and the returned.
What can be found is dependent on the proximity of the exam and the assault. If it’s within hours, you will not typically find disease that was just acquired. It has not had time to gain a foothold.
Infections local to the vagina and its surrounds are not found with blood tests, but with cultures from the vaginal vault. If blood tests are done it is to see whether or not the victim already is positive for those diseases from a different source–not if she was newly exposed.
It may be dependent on the circumstance, of course, but typically antibiotic prophylaxis is given for gonorrhea and chlamydia. Herpes, HIV, Syphilis, Hepatitis B and an assortment of other STDs may show up down the road and are addressed at that time. Normally contraception prevention is also offered if the timeline is proximate enough.
Try this link for some details in plain English: Guidelines and Measures | Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality